The Tears of Artamon

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The Tears of Artamon is a fantasy novel trilogy written by Sarah Ash. The series main character is a young man named Gavril Andar, a portrait painter living in the oceanside nation of Smarna.

[edit] Plot summary

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story begins when a mysterious group of warriors called the Druzhina suddenly appear and whisk him away to Azhkendir, a cold, mountainous region, where they say his recently dead father ruled. He learns his true name, Gavril Nagarian, afterh his father, Volkh Nagararian. It is then that he learns the price of bearing that name, as he inherits his father's "Drakhaoul," a daemon-spirit which gives him tremendous power - that of a dragon. However, he soon learns that in order to sustain that power, he must indulge a horrific, unthinkable craving...

The books also follows the story of Kiukiu, one of the servants at Kastel Drakhaoun. Still recovering from the loss of their master, Lord Volkh, the servants are overjoyed when news comes of his son returning to rule in his stead. But Kiukiu grows apprehensive as the she is contacted by the spirit of Lord Volkh, who implores her to free him from the desolate wasteland he has found his spirit in. She soon learns of a unique gift she has inherited from a lineage nearly gone; she is a Spirit-Singer. It is with this discovery, and Lord Volkh's unleashing, that her own adventure begins...

Later on the reader meets Prince Eugene of Tielen, who has aspirations of gathering the five legendary rubies, called the "Tears of Artamon," which legend says will endow the right to be emperor of all Rossiya (the continent the story takes place on.) He puts his plan into action, marrying Princess Astasia of Muscobar to become King, and then proceeds to unify the nations once again. However, he had not counted on the fierce rebellion of a cold nation called Azhkendir...

Also in the book, it follows the story of Gavril "Andar's" secret lover, Astasia Orlov whom was a favorite character for many of Gavril's paintings. The reader soon finds out that she is engaged to the Emperor of the land Tielen, in order to unite the two princedoms of Tielen and her own country Muscobar. Astasia realizes that if Eugene succeds in his ambition of obtaining the ancient rubies of Artamon ( which ancient law decrees that anyone who possessess the five rubies will be entitled to rule all five princedoms Tielen, Muscobar, Azhkendir, Smarna and Khitari) then she will not only be an empress but an empress of all of New Rossiya